How streaming services are changing the way music is made

The average length of a Billboard Hot 100 song last year was three-and-a-half minutes long, compared to over four minutes in 2000. The number of songs on the Hot 100 under two-and-a-half minutes increased from around 1% in 2015 to over 6% in 2018.

Musicians are adapting the way they make music as a result of how they get paid through streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. The shorter the song, the more it is favored to be played by platform algorithms, because they rotate in the cycle of data much faster than an eight-minute-long Led Zeppelin ballad. More plays mean more traction, which means more money.

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